


Pride

by Simara



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: 5+1, Language, M/M, Pride Parade, Scriddler, Slurs, Some Fluff, mostly rated for language, the return of the bad innuendo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-16
Updated: 2016-07-16
Packaged: 2018-07-24 10:21:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7504585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Simara/pseuds/Simara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Edward Nygma wants to attend a Pride Parade.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pride

**Pride**

1

The first time Edward Nygma did not attend Gotham Pride Parade even though he wanted nothing more than to catch a glance at this strange world, he was 14 years old. He cowered on the couch, his knees pressed tightly to his chest, arms wrapped around them, his face barely visible. With wide eyes he watched them flicker across the television screen. He did not dare to breathe; too afraid his father might notice how fast his heart was beating.

“Faggots”, the old man said. “Fucking queers.”  Edward sat and he nodded and he buried his face even deeper into his arms and watched as his father opened another beer. “You better take care and not be such a sissy, Eddie, or you’ll end up with them cocksuckers over there.” The man slapped Edward’s shoulder and the teenager flinched.

“Leave the kid alone, will ya?” His mother yelled from the kitchen next door. “You’ll just make him cry again.”

“I’ll make him cry alright if I want to!” Edward didn’t hear the rest of their argument. He slipped out of the room before either of them could notice and hid in the bathroom.

 

2

He was eighteen and he didn’t live with his parents any longer. Edward had run away soon after graduation and got himself a boring job and a small room to stay in. There was nothing in his life that was worth living for. He got up in the morning, freezing, because he couldn’t pay the gas and went to bed early because his delivery job had wrecked him. It was that time of the year, however, and he had been pondering whether or not to go for weeks. He wanted to, he really did, but the thought made his stomach turn. What if he’d be seen by someone he knew? Someone from work or school or worse yet- what if his father would find out?

One morning he read a newspaper article by chance, a feature in the Gotham Gazette that was displayed in the window of some shop he walked past after his shift. He caught it in the corner of his eye, slowed down and turned around, really looking at it this time. It was about a vigilante, some man they called the “Greatest Detective”. Instead of going to Pride that year, he spend night after night pondering just how he could prove the newspapers wrong.

His life became a rollercoaster, from that point onwards. At nineteen, he was one of the youngest inmates at Arkham Asylum.

 

3

Harvey never wanted to go with him and Ed couldn’t blame him. It was hard to keep a low profile if half of your face was burnt down to the muscle.

“Have you ever been there?” Edward was lying on the rec room couch, head in his boyfriend’s lab. “Before…”, He gestured vaguely at Harvey’s scars. The older man sighted.

“No Edward, I didn’t. I had a reputation to loose.” Edward scuffed.

“God beware the righteous District’s Attorney might suck dick.”

“Language, Edward.” Edward smiled involuntarily. Harvey was so very different while on medication. Not quite tame but… less unpredictable.

“Would you take me though? If you could? Would you show me off for all the world to see?” A grin spread across Harvey’s scarred lips.    

“Well”, he answered drily. “Look around you kid. I’m not really keeping you a secret in here either.” It was true, of course, and Edward beamed with glee.

“Maybe next year then? There’s _got_ to be a way to go unnoticed.”

“Sure”, Harvey patted his head. “Maybe next year.”

They broke up just a few months later. Pulling himself back together and fighting to defend his place among the rogues against those who thought his affair with Two-Face somehow devaluated him took up too much time to keep thinking about such silly things as pride parades.

 

4

Once he reached the point where he stopped caring about what other people might think or say about his sexuality, gender or choice of clothes, he happened to be stuck in Arkham every Pride season. He tried to take some time off during summer every now and then but things seldom went according to plan.

He settled for probably never going to attend a Pride Parade in his live at 32.

 

5

“I’m bored.”

“No surprise there.”

“We should do something, something fun.”

“You got us both banned from group therapy already.” Edward smiled at the memory.

“Yeah, but only because staff is uptight and judgy… Ha!” Edward jumped to his feet.

“Oh no.”

“If we’re not allowed in group any longer, we should ask for a separate LGBT+ group!”

“Edward, I don’t think that-“

“Don’t worry, you can be the plus, Jon.” Edward teased with a wide grin. Jonathan touched the bridge of his nose.

“As a psychologist, I’ve got to agree that, objectively, that would be a useful concept. But as your friend I’d rather knock you unconscious and tie you to the bed before I’d let you make such demands. If you’re lucky, they’ll just laugh in your face. If not-“ Edward sled back onto the bunk with a sight.

“Point taken. God, I do feel stuck in here sometimes.”

“I don’t want to worry you but that’s exactly the point of prison.”

“No, I mean… I’ve been doing this crime thing for most of my life and… it just keeps getting in the way of other things, you know?”

“Do go on.”

“There’s just so much I want to do with my life. I’ve never been to Europe. I’ve never been at a Pride Parade. I want to learn how to play the violin some day.” Jonathan’s eyes narrowed.

“A Pride Parade?” Edward tried not to look at his partner.

“Forget it.”

“This matters to you”, Jon said, half surprised half intrigued.

“None-sense”, Edward responded, blushing.

“It does”, Jon insisted. “Tell me.”

“I’ve just… never had a chance to go, you know? I think you should, once in your life at least, and who knows…” He shrugged. “Who knows how long I’ll last.”

Jonathan didn’t answer; he appeared to be lost in thoughts. They sat together in silence once more.

“Jon?”

“Hm?”

“You don’t have to knock me unconscious in order to tie me to a bed.”

 

+1 

“Get dressed, we’re going out.”  

“No way I’m getting out of bed today”, Edward mumbled back, tugging the bedcovers closer. “We’ve hardly been out of Arkham for more than five hours.” Jonathan sighted, rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

“Edward, do you remember how I told you that I’ve got a gift for you yesterday?” The word gift alone achieved the impossible: Edward sat upright within a second.

“Where is it?” Jon never gave him gifts. The thought alone made him euphoric.

“Edward, if I could roll my eyes any harder-“, Edward had the audacity to pout.

“Yeah, yeah I get it, I’m materialistic and immature and-“

“I do have a gift for you, Edward, but if you don’t get dressed now we’ll be late.” Edward blinked. A thousand scenarios rushed through his head as he searched for what Jon could possibly have planned. His eyes widened once he understood.

“You mean-“

“Yes and now get up before I change my mind.”

Edward couldn’t stop grinning as they walked through the streets. Jonathan was, obviously, more weary. Not because he feared to be discovered and arrested but more so because some blond youth kept gazing at Edward, trying to decide whether or not to make a pass. Snarling involuntarily, Jonathan took Edward’s hand into his own.

One afternoon of mild embarrassment was a small price to pay to make Edward happy. Jonathan would never admit that to anyone, of course. But looking at Edward, who was snuggling closer to him as they walked, he knew that he had, for once, done the right thing.

 

 


End file.
